February 22, 2012

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Online tips from an expert ABOUT the experts

July 13, 2011 By
online_searching

online_searching

A friend of mine is an Interior Designer.  Actually, she’ll turn her hand to outside as well!  She will offer advice and oversee the installation of anything from a towel rail to a curtain pole, dishwasher to double glazing.  She told me the other day that when it came to the latter (double glazing) she prefers to do research for her clients online.  Because the products were not for her own personal use, but her clients, she felt she would be able to “avoid the pestering double glazing salesman”.  That said, she has managed to compile a list of great online sites that offer double glazing quotes, windows, doors and installations.  [Read more...]

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So, what to buy – a young adult male?

February 28, 2011 By
special event shopping

special event shopping

OK, here’s my set of ideas when you are shopping for a young adult and this time it’s just some thoughts on what men would be interested in.
1. A sporting fixture – there is plenty of opportunity to buy tickets for sport fixtures, football and rugby spring to mind as possibilities obviously you need to pick the right team as I’m sure a Chelsea fan wouldn’t ideally fancy a trip to Anfield if Chelsea aren’t the opposition. Cricket Twenty Twenty matches are a good fun way to spend an evening and tickets are very reasonably priced.
2. Magazine subscriptions can work for guys too, buying a year’s subscription to Mens Health, Empire or even a ‘lads mag’ can be organised online. You can even trade in Tesco clubcard vouchers for subscriptions so it wouldn’t even have to cost ‘real money’. [Read more...]

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So, what to buy – a young adult?

February 24, 2011 By

Starting with young women first and using 20-25 as a rough age range for what a young adult means I have come up with a range of suggestions including brands and options to suit a variety of budgets.
1. A personal shopping appointment – these can actually be booked in most department stores free of charge but to make a present out of it then throw in lunch and some budget towards the styles that the personal shopper selects. Some stores will specify a minimum spend however others make no charge and there is no obligation to buy anything – although you probably will.
2. Beauty treatment – anything from a mini manicure to the full spa weekend should be very well received. A mini manicure can be from around £10 and a day package to a spa can be fund for as little as £60 depending where you are in the country and what treatments are included. [Read more...]

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So, what to buy – a late teenage boy?

February 19, 2011 By

1. Gadgets – there is a wide variety of electronics and consoles which might make the perfect purchase, not to mention games and accessories. Remember to find out exactly what brand / model you are buying for as a Nintendo game won’t be of any use for those with a Sony etc. To get round the issues of buying specific items (unless you have been provided with a list) then you can go down the voucher or gift card route for stores like Game or HMV etc. [Read more...]

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So, what to buy – a late teenage girl?

February 14, 2011 By
teenage jewellery

teenage jewellery

Here are some ideas however I can’t be held responsible if your young teenage recipient isn’t entirely happy with the result, teenagers can be fickle.

1. Clothes – new clothes are pretty popular with teenage girls and they enjoy shopping so there are a few options here. To avoid any faux pas with actual items of clothing you are probably better to go with vouchers. You can get gift cards almost anywhere so some good options might be Primark (more for your money), New Look, Next or one of the department stores like John Lewis, Debenhams or House of Fraser. There are also cards available from the Post Office which you can spend at a variety of outlets so you are not constrained to one store. [Read more...]

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Shopping for young adults and late teenagers

February 9, 2011 By

Looking at young adults and late teenagers as one homogenous group might not be too helpful when looking at what to buy for them.

When thinking about shopping I think it’s more useful to think about breaking the groups up; a late teenager (16-19 is potentially a definition in terms of age) could be still at school and would have very different priorities and spending power to a late teenager who is full or part time work and again to one who might be unemployed. There is also a gender consideration as you wouldn’t necessarily buy the same products or brands for a girl as you would for a boy.

There are similar distinctions in the grouping for young adult, here do we consider the age range to be 20-25? For many they would probably consider themselves to be young adults more towards 30 (and we are all living longer so this is possibly a more reasonable boundary?). [Read more...]

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Shopping Online

February 4, 2011 By
asos online shopping

asos online shopping

Browsing round the High Street, heading to the big shopping centre or clicking into your favourite store has changed the face of shopping. There are so many options that should suit every need. Teenagers and young adults are probably the most computer literate and media savvy in a generation.

Online shopping is ever expanding and appealing to a wider customer base all the time some specifically aiming their sights at those with spending power and disposable income – the young adults and teenagers. There are a number of sites which offer a variety of brands, like ASOS and catalogue sites like Very which enable you to browse through brands from Adidas to Urban Decay (I couldn’t think of a ‘z’ brand).

Payment tends to be via Credit or Debit card however there is a growing popularity in using Paypal to cover the cost of the latest boots or jeans. The downside to online shopping is waiting for items to be delivered and the added delivery cost. The exception to the rule here seems to be the ever more competitive space of cheap appliances and electronics. More and more retailers are providing free post and packaging for electronics based items. [Read more...]

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Retail Therapy

January 26, 2011 By

Some consider Retail Therapy (another term for shopping) to be a worthy pastime to others shopping is more of a chore to be considered only in desperate circumstances. The idea of shopping is literally visiting retail outlets – in real life or online – making your selections and purchasing however there are many who enjoy the elements of mooching round the shops and trying things on as much as actually making the purchase. This tends not to apply to the harassed mums dragging their offspring in and out of shops or negotiating the buggy around limited space around rails. [Read more...]

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Online Clothes Shopping Tips

January 19, 2011 By

Online Shopping has become a very popular way of shopping over recent years, its where the consumer purchaces items over the internet. Heres a couple of websites online clothing websites for young shoppers:

Asos

Launched in 2000, the website Asos has become very popular for online clothes shopping, asos sells both women and men clothes and footwear. It ranges from high street clothing, designer and even has its own independent clothing brand. [Read more...]

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Shopping for Teenagers

January 13, 2011 By
ugg

ugg

If you were looking for one of the top ten least rewarding activities then shopping for young adults and late teenagers has to be close to the top of the list. Shopping for young children is relatively easy as you are in control of what gets bought and at least for a few years, what gets worn. Once children develop a mind of their own that is when things start to get tricky.

There have been a number of things I’ve bought for my brother over the years which have been met with “have you got the receipt?” so one thing I know for sure is young adults and teenagers, especially boys, don’t shop in Marks and Spencer. However with the internet they are now turning to price comparison sites to find their deals. I have also in the past found one or two acceptable brands only to pick an item with a visible logo, absolutely unacceptable apparently. Yet I see teenagers walking around emblazoned with logos but obviously not the ones I had chosen. Brands seem to be closely related to various ‘cool’ groups and cross over is limited – you don’t see kids with skateboards wearing Uggs and the public school look appears to be reliant on Jack Wills and Abercrombie and Fitch. [Read more...]

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